McGovant History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the McGovant family

The surname McGovant was first found in Lanarkshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Lannraig) a former county in the central Strathclyde region of Scotland, now divided into the Council Areas of North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, and the City of Glasgow, where they held a family seat on the territories and lands known as Govan. The first on record was Christian, widow of Simon Govan in 1293.

The name of this parish is generally supposed to have been derived from the two Saxon words god and win, 'good wine,' applied on account of the superior ale for which the place was celebrated, and which, after being kept for several years, approached in flavour to wine. Some, however, derive it from the Gaelic word gamham, pronounced gavan, and signifying 'a ditch,' used in reference to the river Clyde, which runs through the parish, and which, in ancient times, was a very narrow stream. [1]CITATION[CLOSE]Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.

Early History of the McGovant family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McGovant research.Another 123 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1326, 1359, 1425, 1672, 1623 and 1661 are included under the topic Early McGovant History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McGovant Spelling Variations

Early Notables of the McGovant family (pre 1700)

Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McGovant Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the McGovant family to Ireland

Some of the McGovant family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the McGovant family to the New World and Oceana

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Katherine Govan who settled in New Jersey in 1685; James Govan settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1850; Thomas Gowen settled in Virginia in 1635.